NATO chief says he understands Trump’s ‘disappointment’ with allies in Iran – nationally
NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, said on Thursday that he understands US President Donald Trump’s “disappointment” in the alliance for not immediately helping him in his war with Iran, but he also supported Trump’s decision not to inform the allies in advance.
Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington a day after meeting privately with Trump to discuss the president’s criticism, Rutte voiced support for US military actions in Iran while acknowledging Trump’s frustration with the alliance.
“When it came time to provide aid and other assistance that the United States needed in Iran, some allies were slow, to say the least,” Rutte said.
“Honestly, it was also a surprise. To maintain the element of surprise with the initial strikes, President Trump chose not to notify the allies ahead of time, and I understand that.”
He explained later: “There wasn’t much consultation before.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other NATO leaders suggested that they did not join the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran because they did not consult with them in advance.
Several European allies have provided support for the US military in the Middle East, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is leading international efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Rutte said this support is evidence of a “mental change” that he said is needed to accompany Europe’s move away from an “unhealthy dependence” on American security “to an atlantic alliance based on true relationships.”
While Rutte appeared sympathetic to Trump’s criticism, he denied previous comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met separately with Rutte on Wednesday, that NATO cannot be a “one-way street.”
“It was not a one-way alliance where US, European and Canadian troops fought and sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan,” Rutte said.
“And I am pleased to know that every day as I speak, US, European and Canadian troops continue to train and deploy to support our collective security. I am sure that a strong Europe and a strong NATO will not take US leadership lightly.”
Asked about Wednesday’s meeting, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt read a statement she said came from Trump, who said the alliance had been “tested and failed.”
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“It’s sad that NATO has turned its back on the American people in the last six weeks, and it’s the American people who have been funding their defense,” Leavitt added.
After the meeting, Trump released a comprehensive statement on social media that suggested he was still upset.
“NATO IS NOT THERE WHEN WE NEED IT, AND IT WILL NOT BE THERE WHEN WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” Trump said in his post. “REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, BAD RUNNING, PIECE OF ICE!!!”
Rutte said his meeting with Trump on Tuesday was “frank and open,” and that he “heard his disappointment that he felt that many of his allies were not with him.”
“I explained to him yesterday, I said, ‘Hey, Mr. President, it is clear that the majority of Europeans have done what the US asked of them and what was previously agreed upon in these circumstances,'” he said.
“And yes, sometimes it takes a little time, but hey, guess what? We have alliances in Europe. Sometimes we have a political (situation) to take care of, sometimes it takes a few days, but then we come together. And almost all of Europe did that.”
Rutte later added: “It was a good conversation.”
The NATO chief repeatedly refused to directly answer questions from the event’s president and the crowd about whether he felt Trump might follow through on his threats to pull the US out of the alliance.
Instead he pointed to an increase in defense spending and a move by European allies to take the lead in their own defense, which he said would allow the US to better balance its European defense responsibilities with the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific.
All NATO members, including Canada, have finally met the alliance’s old goals of spending at least two percent of GDP on defense, NATO confirmed earlier this month. NATO agreed last year to raise that target to five percent by 2035, including 3.5 percent on “core” military spending.
This growing strength and commitment, says Rutte, counters fears about the alliance’s survival.
“So, why does everyone in this room have a knot in their stomach about the future of the transatlantic alliance?” he asked. “Why, when we turn on our televisions or scroll our phones, do we see the first sketches of the history of NATO?
“Let me be clear: this organization does not whistle past the graves, as you would say in the United States.”
Rutte explains calling Trump ‘father’
Towards the end of the event, Rutte was asked if he still calls Trump “daddy,” a claim that Trump himself has grown fond of repeating after key speeches from Rutte last year.
During the NATO Summit in The Hague a day after those comments, Trump again criticized Israel and Iran and compared them to fighting school children while speaking with Rutte. The NATO chief then laughed and said, “And my father sometimes has to use strong language to get (them) to stop.”
“This is a language problem,” Rutte said on Thursday.
“In Dutch, you can say, ‘your father’ is translated as ‘father.’ And I said, ‘Sometimes dad has to be angry.’ So I didn’t call him my father, but then, ‘father’ also has a special meaning. And now I have to live with this for the rest of my life.”
He went on to say that he and Trump handled the comments in a humorous way “among friends.”
“I have, and the president is in charge because he took out t-shirts, made the movie, ‘Daddy’s Home,’ and returned to the United States. This was very funny, that’s why I like him so much,” said Rutte.
